The College Dropout
The College Dropout is the debut album by American hip hop musician Kanye West, released in 2004 on Roc-A-Fella Records. It was recorded over a period of four years, beginning in 1999. Prior to the album's release, West had gained prominence after producing several songs on Jay-Z's 2001 album The Blueprint, which was able to showcase his melodic and soulful style of hip hop production. The recording of The College Dropout was often halted by the lack of confidence that record executives had in West's rapping ability, eventually being convinced based off the success of his early musical ventures. The album's production was handled in its entirety by West, with contributions from Brian Miller, Porse and Evidence. It features appearances by Jay-Z, John Legend, Talib Kweli, Common, Ludacris and Mos Def, among others. Diverging from the then-dominant gangster persona in hip hop, West's lyrics on the album concern themes of family, religion, self-consciousness, materialism, and personal struggles. The album was promoted by singles such as "Through the Wire" and "Jesus Walks", both of which received critical acclaim. "All Falls Down" and "Slow Jamz" both charted within in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, with the latter charting at number one. The College Dropout debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 441,000 copies during its first week. It was a massive commercial success, producing five singles that achieved chart success. Upon its release, The College Dropout received universal acclaim from music critics and earned West several accoladses, such as a Grammy Award for Best Rap Albums at the 47th Grammy Awards. It is West's best-selling album in the United States, with domestic sales of 3.4 million copies and worldwide sales of over four million copies. It is often listed amongst the greatest debut albums ever released by a hip hop artist. Track listing Notes *Track 1 features additional vocals performed by Deray. *Track 2 features additional vocals performed by John Legend and Riccarda Watkins, violins performed by Miri Ben-Ari, and background vocals performed by Keyshia Cole. *Track 3 features piano performed by John legend, vocals performed by John Legend, percussion performed by Frank Walker, and violins performed by Miri Ben-Ari. *Track 4 features guitars performed by Eric "E-Bass" Johnson, and acoustic guitar performed by Ken Lewis. *Track 5 features additional vocals performed by Tony Williams and Deray, and piano performed by Ervin "EP" Pope. *Track 6 features additional vocals performed by Tony Williams and John Legend. *Track 7 features additional vocals performed by John Legend, and violins performed by Miri Ben-Ari. *Track 8 features background vocals performed by John Legend and Tracy Spencer, keyboards performed by Ervin "EP" Pope, guitars performed by Glenn Jefferey, bass performed by Keenan "Kee-note" Holloway, percussion performed by Frank Walker, and sample recreation by Ken Lewis. *Track 9 features additional vocals performed by Sumeke Rainey. *Track 10 features additional vocals performed by Candis Brown, Brandi Kuykenvall and Tiera Singleton. *Track 11 features additional vocals performed by John Legend and Sumeke Rainey, talkbox performed by Bosko, guitars performed by Eric "E-Bass" Johnson, piano performed by Ervin "EP" Pope, and violins performed by Miri Ben-Ari. *Track 12 features additional vocals performed by Aisha Tyler, keyboards performed by Ervin "EP" Pope, guitars performed by Glenn Jefferey, bass performed by Keenan "Kee-note" Holloway, and percussion performed by Frank Walker. *Track 13 features violins performed by Miri Ben-Ari. *Track 14 features additional vocals performed by Deray. *Track 15 features additional vocals performed by Tony Williams. *Track 16 features additional vocals performed by Deray. *Track 17 features additional vocals performed by Deray and Tony Williams, and piano performed by Ervin "EP" Pope. *Track 18 features additional vocals performed by The Boys Choir of Harlem, keyboards performed by Keith Slattery, and violins performed by Miri Ben-Ari. *Track 19 features bass guitar performed by Scott Ward. *Track 20 features additional vocals performed by Thomasina Atkins, Linda Petty, Beverly McCargo, Lavel Mena, Thai Jones, Kevin Shannon and Tarey Torae, piano performed by Josh Zandman, and additional instrumentation performed by Ken Lewis. *Track 21 features guitar performed by Ken Lewis, bass performed by Ken Lewis, keyboard performed by Ken Lewis, percussion performed by Ken Lewis, vocals performed by Ken Lewis, additional bass performed by Keenan "Kee-note" Holloway, additional vocals performed by John Legend and Tony Williams, guitars performed by Glenn Jefferey, and piano performed by Ervin "EP" Pope. Credits *Recorded by: Rabeka Tunei (track 1, 4-6, 8, 10, 14-17, 20, 21), Rich Balmer (track 2), Eugene A. Toale (track 2, 3, 7, 11, 13), Anthony Kilhoffer (track 3, 8, 9), Tasuya Sato (track 4, 6, 7), Andrew Dawson (track 6, 7, 11, 15), Gimel "Guru" Keaton (track 8), Brent Kolantalo (track 8), Jacelyn Parry (track 8), Michael Eleopoulos (track 9), Dave Dar (track 9), Keith Slattery (track 11, 18), Jacob Andrew (track 13, 20), Jason Rauhoff (track 13), Marc Fuller (track 18), Carlisle Young (track 18), Francis Graham (track 19), Brent Kolantelo (track 21) *Mixed by: Manny Marroquin (track 1-10, 12-17, 19, 20), Veit Renn (track 11), Jared Lopez (track 11), Mike Dean (track 18, 21) *Photography: Danny Clinch *Art Direction & Design: Eric Duvauchelle, Mike Godshall, Jim Morris, Stephanie Reynolds, Lawri Rose *Costumes by: O'Share Stylez, Kanye West Category:2004 debut albums Category:2004 albums Category:Kanye West albums Category:Albums produced by Kanye West Category:Def Jam Recordings albums Category:Roc-A-Fella Records albums Category:Grammy Award for Best Rap Album Category:Albums produced by Evidence Category:Article stubs